Chicken karaage with sweet chilli sauce

Name: Chicken karaage with sweet chilli sauce
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 800g chicken thigh fillets, quartered; 80g cornflour; 80g potato starch or rice flour; oil for deep-frying (olive oil or rice bran oil); 1 bunch of shiso leaves, finely sliced or small leaves torn; lemon wedges, to serve

Karen Martini

December 9, 2022

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

This is such a simple way to fry chicken, without the mess of batter, and the marinade ups the flavour ante considerably. Karaage is a classic Japanese preparation, with the dusting of flour providing a crisp veil that just begs for a dousing in an umami-rich chilli sauce. My sauce has a Korean twist but the result, when married with the chicken, is deeply savoury and delicious. Serve with rice and pickles.

Ingredients

800g chicken thigh fillets, quartered
80g cornflour
80g potato starch or rice flour
oil for deep-frying (olive oil or rice bran oil)
1 bunch of shiso leaves, finely sliced or small leaves torn
lemon wedges, to serve

For the marinade

100ml sake
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
2 tsp caster sugar
1½ tsp salt flakes
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground white pepper

For the sweet chilli sauce

50ml light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp mirin
3 tsp gochujang*
2 tsp sesame oil
5 spring onions, white part only, finely sliced
juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and coat well. Set aside for about 1 hour.
2. For the sauce, combine the ingredients well in a bowl.
3. Combine the cornflour and starch (or rice flour) in a medium bowl.
4. Pour the oil in a saucepan or wok – at least 4cm deep – and heat to about 170C.
5. Dust the chicken pieces in the flour mix until well coated, then fry in batches so as not to crowd the pan for 5-6 minutes until golden and cooked. Drain each batch on paper towel.
6. Serve the chicken with shiso scattered over the top, and the chilli sauce and lemon on the side.
*Gochujang is a fermented Korean chilli paste, now generally available at Asian grocers.